Peggy Noonan has a pretty good article on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Of note is Noonan's analysis of how to tell the looters from people just trying to survive.

There seems to be some confusion in terms of terminology on TV. People with no food and water who are walking into supermarkets and taking food and water off the shelves are not criminal, they are sane. They are not looters, they are people who are attempting to survive; they are taking the basics of survival off shelves in stores where there isn't even anyone at the cash register.

Looters are not looking to survive; they're looking to take advantage of the weakness of others. They are predators. They're taking not what they need but what they want. They are breaking into stores in New Orleans and elsewhere and stealing flat screen TVs and jewelry, guns and CD players.

I might quibble with including firearms in the "looters" column, with what I've seen reported, it seems like a firearm might be necessary for survival down there.